The National Association of Pastoral Musicians conducted a survey (through its website) asking people what factors encouraged them to sing during Mass. The separated out the results into two groups: Musicians and congregants.
(So remember - this was not a random survey in any sense of the word. It was on the NPM website, so that means you had to go there to do it, which presumes you have an interest in music or were directed there by someone who does. Not that I think the results for the people-in-the-pew would be that different with a broader range of respondents. It strikes me as accurate.)
The survey results demonstrated an interesting divergence in the perspectives of musicians and non-musicians. Non-musicians identified familiarity and ease as most important in supporting their sung participation in the liturgy. The top three responses from this group related to the choice of music for people to sing: familiar melody (52.2%), easy to sing (51.4%), and traditional song (47.9%).
Those involved in music ministries-directors, organists, cantors, choir and ensemble members-were more likely to focus on issues of leadership and text. The top responses from this group included leadership of organ or instruments (66.4%), meaningful text (65.6%), leadership of cantor or director (60.9%), and music linked to the liturgy of the day or season (59.6%).
Commentary at The New Liturgical Movement, including this from the comments on the post, comments which I thought were quite perceptive:
One positive thing I have noticed is that when the celebrant chants the orations, the sung response is far better than when they are recited. People can politely decline to say "Amen" to a spoken prayer, but when the Celebrant solemnly chants "...through Christ Our Lord." he sets up an expectant silence that simply has to be filled with a sung "Amen", and even those who would not bother to say it are drawn into singing it.
When the Ordinary and "other suitable songs" are dropped into slots in an otherwise recited liturgy, the congregation tend to perceive the spoken parts as "their" parts and the sung parts as the musicians' parts.
But when a Celebrant makes the chanted orations and responses habitual, people who do not consider themselves 'singers' find themselves singing regularly. This helps to build confidence in singing the Ordinary and the o.s.s. At least that is my experience.
Acoustics are of great importance. If people who do not sing alone with confidence (i.e. the majority of the average congregation) cannot hear other people singing, most will not sing. Sound-absorbent surfaces such as carpet and acoustic tile remove sound energy from the environment. When sound waves are prevented from travelling, each singer is acoustically isolated from the others. Why do people sing in the shower? Because the hard reflective surfaces make it sound better. A church in which the singer feels as if he is singing with his face in a pillow will destroy communal singing.
The entertainment media are making us over into a people who passively "receive" music; we seem as a society to be distancing ourselves from the tradition of making music personally. Music is becoming a product that we buy, not something we do. I think that this growing attitude of passivity is the major challenge for church musicians.
Also at TLM, a vigorous discussion on the role of cantors at Mass.
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